Harold Hill

Harold Hill (1868 - 1936) known professionally as Professor Harold Hill was an American Con Artist from Illinois known for scamming parents by promising to form boys bands in their community, accepting payments but then skipping town before he could be caught.

Summer of 1912
In the Summer of 1912 Hill came to River City, Iowa. He began running his usual routine of scamming parents with his old friend, Marcellus Washburn. After awhile he fell in love with the local librarian who also taught piano lessons. After he had the whole town under his spell he was exposed when another salesman missed his train and attended an event in River City saw him and declared him a fraud. He convinced the town he wasn't, by actually having the children play music, when they did he was released from custody. He led a parade down through the town and remained in River City, eventually marrying the Librarian he fell in love with.